The Stolen ‘Wizard of Oz’ Ruby Slippers Have Finally Been Found

I love a Hollywood story with a happy ending. This one took a while, but we finally got there.

Judy Garland’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, arguably the most famous and beloved prop in movie history, were stolen from the July Garland Museum in Minnesota over a dozen years ago. But earlier this week (via The Telegraph) the FBI announced they had recovered the magical shoes, thanks to a tip followed by a “sting operation”:

The FBI said a man approached the insurer in summer 2017 and said he could help get them back. After a nearly year-long investigation, the slippers were recovered in July during a sting operation in Minneapolis. The slippers' authenticity was verified by comparing them with another pair at the Smithsonian's American history museum in Washington DC.

After all that, they just eyeballed it? Okay...

The FBI hasn’t arrested anyone yet in the case. The burglary sounds much easier than you might expect; the thief slipped broke into the museum through a window, and then took the shoes out of a small glass case. The security camera wasn’t working that night, so there were no clues and no suspects. Danny Ocean this guy was not.

Before they were stolen, the slippers were valued at about $1 million, but that was 13 years ago. Today, they’re probably far more valuable. These shoes are one of just four known pairs that Garland wore as Dorothy in the film; the other three are owned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Smithsonian Institute, and one lucky collector. So this time, let’s keep these puppies somewhere a little more secure than sitting on a pedestal. And make sure the security camera is always running.